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Purdue advanced to the men’s national championship after beating NC State 63-50 in the Final Four.
Behind 20 points and 12 rebounds from AP Player of the Year Zach Edey, the Boilermakers called time on the Wolfpack’s shock run to the national semifinals, setting up a matchup against UConn of Alabama on Monday.
NC State led DJ Horne by 20 points, while fan favorite DJ Burns Jr. worked his way to eight points.
Purdue’s run comes a year after being stunned by No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson in the opening round of March Madness.
Now, however, longtime coach Matt Painter is one win away from his first national championship.
Zach Edey led Purdue with 20 points and 12 rebounds as the Boilermakers marched on
Edey (15) blocks NC State guard Casey Morsell’s shot in the second half
Purdue guard Fletcher Loyer (2) celebrates after scoring against North Carolina State
It’s Purdue’s first trip to the final game for the first time since 1969, while being in the Final Four for the first time since 1980.
Edey and coach Matt Painter’s team have overcome every challenge so far.
They did it this time despite a three-point night from their second-leading scorer, Braden Smith, who shot 1 for 9 (but finished with eight rebounds and six assists).
He wasn’t the only one who couldn’t buy a bucket. The NC State team that defeated Duke 55-37 after halftime in the Elite Eight this time shot 28.6 percent in the last twenty minutes – a cold snap with open looks galore that just wouldn’t fall.
NC State forward DJ Burns Jr. was held to just eight points in the defeat on Saturday evening
Edey (15) and NC State forward Ben Middlebrooks battle for the ball in the second half
It resulted in some ugly hoops. At one point early in the second half, the teams missed ten straight shots between them.
Despite all of Smith’s struggles, he put the final dagger in NC State’s season.
It came at the end of a play in which Horne shot an air ball and Edey knocked NC State guard Jayden Taylor’s shot out of the paint, while at the other end Fletcher Loyer and then Smith made back-to-back 3s.
Smith’s was part of an 8-0 run that pushed Purdue’s lead to 20. The only drama left was whether the Wolfpack would surpass their season low with a score of 52 points. They did not.